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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

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Current racing:

• May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
• May 11: Tro-Bro Léon

Upcoming racing:

• May 13 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
• May 17: Veenendaal - Veenendaal Cancelled
• May 18: Rund um Köln

Latest completed racing:

• May 10: GP du Morbihan
• May 9: Tour du Finistère
• April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
• April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
• May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
• April 27: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
• April 24 - 27: Vuelta Asturias
• April 21 - 25: Tour of the Alps
• April 23: La Flèche Wallonne
• April 20: Amstel Gold Race
• April 20: Tour du Doubs
• April 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
• April 18: De Brabantse Pijl

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Giro d'Italia stage two news

We posted the report from stage winner Joshua Tarling's Team INEOS Grenadiers with the results.

Here's the Giro stage two report from third-place Jay Vine's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:

Jay Vine came narrowly close to picking up his first Giro d’Italia stage victory on day two in Albania, with the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man finishing in third place, just three seconds down on the winner Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers). The Australian spent a period in the hot seat before being toppled by the British national time trial champion, marking a strong response to his stage 1 crash.

On the 13.7km-long individual time trial in Tirana, the former Australian national time trial champion produced a blistering performance that saw him complete the course in 16’10”, averaging over 50 km/h. Just 24 hours earlier, Vine had hit the deck on the Giro’s opening stage, forcing him to start stage 2 with a bandaged right knee. However, the Australian showed his strength, resilience and good form to be amongst the best on Saturday afternoon.

Jay Vine time-trialing at the 2025 Tour de Romandie. Sirotti photo

In the end, the 29-year-old was bettered only by Tarling and second-placed Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), both of whom had Vine’s time as a marker. For UAE Team Emirates-XRG, the afternoon was certainly successful, with Brandon McNulty, Isaac del Toro and Juan Ayuso all posting quick times, as Adam Yates did his best on unfavourable terrain.

The British climber battened down the hatches and rode admirably to remain just 36 seconds off the race lead heading into the third and final stage in Albania. That race lead is held by Roglič, who did just enough to dislodge pink off the shoulders of stage 1 winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek). As the American team bid adieu to the maglia rosa, the American national champion in this discipline, McNulty, stopped the clock with a top-10 time, as did his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Ayuso.

McNulty ended the day just 13 seconds down on Tarling, with Ayuso four seconds back. Both riders remain in the top five overall, with teammate Del Toro in sixth. The Mexican finished just outside the top 10 on stage 2, coming across the line 18 seconds down on the benchmark.

All three riders can be happy with their showings, putting UAE Team Emirates-XRG into a strong position heading into Sunday’s stage, which will take the peloton above 1,000m for the first time.

Elsewhere, young Italian Filippo Baroncini finished just outside of the top 20 on the day, with Rafał Majka and Igor Arrieta keeping their powder dry for the Emirati squad.

Reflecting on his bounce-back display, Vine was certainly content with his day’s work in the Albanian capital.

Vine: “I was a bit worried last night about my knee and whether I would take the start today. But after breakfast and the recon, I felt I could still push, and I didn’t want to waste the opportunity to perform in my favourite event, the time trial.

“So I went ahead and prepared as normal, and I am really happy to come away with a podium. The form is definitely there, so I look forward to the rest of the Giro and I’m incredibly grateful my injuries weren’t more severe.”

Fourth-place Edoardo Affini's Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Giro report:

Edoardo Affini finished fourth in the time trial on day two of the Giro d’Italia. The European time trial champion from Team Visma | Lease a Bike only had to trail Jay Vine, Primož Roglič, and stage winner Joshua Tarling. Wout van Aert was unable to contend for the stage win or the pink jersey.

The riders completed a 13.7-kilometer individual time trial through the streets of the Albanian capital, Tirana. The course was mostly flat, with a short climb halfway through. However, the many technical corners made it particularly challenging. 

Affini set one of the first top times. The 28-year-old Italian rider of Team Visma | Lease a Bike - who claimed the European title in the discipline at the end of last season - delivered a strong time trial. After spending a long time in the hot seat, he ultimately had to settle for fourth place. 

Edoardo Affini starts his ride.

“It was special to race in my champion’s jersey,” Affini reflected. “I’m satisfied with my race. I’ve only done one time trial this season so far - the team time trial in Paris-Nice. It’s great to be able to perform like this right away. It was definitely not an easy course. The repeated short efforts after each sharp turn made it really tough.” 

All Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders completed their time trials without incident. GC leader Simon Yates delivered a solid time. The 32-year-old Brit limited his losses and rose to 13th place in the general classification. After his second place yesterday, Wout van Aert still had hopes of claiming the pink jersey, but the Giro debutant couldn’t compete for the stage win today. 

Here's Wout van Aert on his ride. Sirotti photo

“I gave it my all, but that top feeling just wasn’t there,” Van Aert said afterward. “I felt early on that I didn’t have the power to accelerate out of the corners, which was a crucial part of the race today. Of course, there’s a bit of disappointment. I had hoped to fight for the win and the pink jersey today, but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.”

Ethan Hayter's Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this Giro report:

Corsa Rosa continued Saturday afternoon with a 13.7km individual time trial held on the streets of Tirana, the fast course – that featured just a small climb – borrowing many of the opening stage’s flat roads.

Despite being among the early starters, Ethan Hayter concluded in the top ten thanks to a strong ride that saw the former British Champion set the provisional fastest time at both the checkpoint and the finish after a blistering ride. Hayter remained in the hot seat for a good chunk of time, before other riders improved his time, one of these being Joshua Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers), who won the stage. In the end, the 26-year-old – who stopped the clock in 16:21 – finished in ninth place for his second top ten of the season, after the one on the opening day of the Itzulia Basque Country.

Here's Soudal Quick-Step rider Josef Cerny riding to 13th place. Sirotti photo

“I can be content with my effort. Top ten on the second stage of my second Grand Tour is a good result and it gives me a lot of confidence for the next three weeks. We’ll see what we can do, but me and the boys are ready to give our best”, Ethan said after the race.

In the general classification, Mattia Cattaneo is the best placed Soudal Quick-Step rider ahead of the final stage on Albanian soil, which will take the peloton on a 160km loop around Vlorë, the country’s third-largest city.

Here's the Giro report from Romain Bardet's Team Picnic-PostNL:

The second stage of the Giro d’Italia took the riders through Tirana in a 13.7-kilometre individual time trial. There was a small climb along the way, but otherwise, the course was almost flat. It was a technical route, with constant twists and turns through the streets of Tirana.

General classification contenders Romain Bardet and Max Poole, fresh off strong performances in stage 1, took to the course later in the afternoon. Romain Bardet, riding with his usual calm determination, stopped the clock at 16:59, limiting any time losses and keeping his position firmly among the top contenders. Max Poole, showing his consistency and resilience, posted an impressive time of 16:32, securing 17th place on the day. Poole currently sits in 7th place in the general classification thanks to his strong start.

Romain Bardet was 51st. Sirotti photo

As for the team, it was a solid day all around. With the technical challenges of the course, ensuring the riders made it through safely was key, and the squad executed their strategy flawlessly. Everyone came through unscathed, setting them up perfectly for the tough days ahead.

After the stage, Poole said: “It was a good day. The course was pretty tough, but it was nice that you could break it down into different sections. I think I did alright, so it’s a solid start. It was quite a long day with lots of riders out on the course and the recon beforehand, but for me it was fine. I just stayed relaxed and focused. Now it’s time to recover and get ready for tomorrow.”

Here's the Giro report from new Best Young Rider Francesco Busatto's Team Intermarché-Wanty:

Intermarché-Wanty has started its fifth Giro d’Italia at full speed thanks to Francesco Busatto, who finished fourth in the opening stage in Albanian territory and is the first white jersey wearer of this edition.

Starting his national Tour, which is also his very first Grand Tour, the young 22-year-old Italian stayed determinedly at the front of the peloton, surviving the sustained pace set on the two ascents of Surrel, the main difficulty of the finale, to contest the sprint for victory.

Francesco Busatto will start stage three in the Best Young Rider's white jersey. Sirotti photo

His teammate Taco van der Hoorn, returning to the Giro for the first time since the 2021 edition, had joined the first breakaway of this Tour of Italy. However, this breakaway never gained a significant advantage, as the peloton was determined to have a mass sprint to decide the first pink jersey wearer.

At the end of the 160 kilometers of racing between Durrës and Tirana, Francesco Busatto arrived just off the podium, only beaten by Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert, and Orluis Aular. He takes possession of the white jersey for the best young rider, a first for Intermarché-Wanty since Biniam Girmay in the 2022 edition.

“I knew I was well prepared for my Giro debut, as I built a solid base in the altitude camp with the team. But this performance in my debut at this highest level of the sport is beyond what I imagined. It is really special. My teammates showed their belief in me by helping me all day. I reached the top of the last climb in the slipstream of Van Aert and as I knew he would be up there in the sprint, I focused on locking on his wheel as long as possible. I managed to do that until the last corner before giving it everything. To finish fourth in my debut, it’s just fantastic! Pulling on the best young rider’s jersey is an incredible feeling. It will be a real challenge to defend it in the time trial tomorrow as it’s not my forte. But you never know, maybe I can surprise myself with a good performance like I did today. I'll leave everything out on the road.” - Francesco Busatto

David Gaudu's Team Groupama-FDJ posted this Giro stage two report:

A solo effort was scheduled in the streets of Tirana for the second day of racing in the 2025 Giro d’Italia. For David Gaudu, the goal was to limit the losses, and the Frenchman performed rather well in this regard. At the finish, he lost fifty-five seconds to winner Joshua Tarling, roughly the same to Primoz Roglic, but less to the other favorites. Before a key stage on Sunday, he sits twenty-fifth overall.

Twenty-four hours after quite an intense start, the Giro resumed on Saturday with a time trial with various stakes in the Albanian capital. In addition to the first fight for the general classification, the pink jersey was also up for grabs in this second stage, on a fast course that still included a dozen corners. “It was a nice time trial with wide boulevards in the city, and a three-minute climb in the middle,” said David Han. “It could have become dangerous if the weather hadn’t been good, but fortunately it didn’t happen.”

David Gaudu time trialing at the 2024 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo

All the riders were able to cover the 13.7-kilometre course on dry roads, and Enzo Paleni opened the day for Groupama-FDJ just before 2 p.m., before Clément Davy, Rémy Rochas and Quentin Pacher took on the route as well. Shortly after 3 p.m., Kevin Geniets, Lorenzo Germani and Sven Erik Bystrom set off one after the other. “For everyone except David, the goal was to think long-term and about the stages where they’ll be able to seize opportunities,” said David Han. “We know we don’t have a rider able to finish in the top 20 in a time trial like today. Rather than going all out and wasting our energy, it was better to save some. The Giro lasts three weeks, and you have to focus more on the days when you can aim for victory than on finishing twenty-fifth in a time trial.”

Clément Davy and Enzo Paleni still set decent times, in less than seventeen minutes. Then David Gaudu, who finished in the front on Friday, began his time trial at 4:03 p.m. He finished seventeen minutes and two seconds later. “It was a demanding time trial, with lots of corners, after which you constantly needed to push again, put the gears back up, and put in the power,” he said. “He did a very good time trial,” his coach added. “He only got stuck in a bit in the last three kilometres, due to the lack of specific training following his injury and his current shape. However, it was a good time trial overall, and we’re within the time range we set for ourselves at the start.” “I told myself it would be decent if I lost between forty-five seconds and one minute to the other favorites,” confirmed David. “Considering where I come from, and the number of times I’ve been on the time trial bike this year, it’s still a decent performance. I’m happy I was able to go all out, and even if I cracked a little in the last part, it’s still a satisfying time trial.”

Eventually, among the favorites, only Primoz Roglic beat him by more than forty-five seconds on Saturday.On GC, the Breton climber is now in 25th place, 54 seconds behind the new Slovenian pink jersey, and on the eve of a stage that could be tricky. A ten-kilometre climb averaging 7.5% will indeed be covered with forty kilometres to go on Sunday. “It will probably be the first real fight of the Giro tomorrow, and I’m already looking forward to it,” David said.

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